‘Senhorita Izabela, good afternoon. How can I help you?’

‘I’m so sorry to disturb you, senhor. I was looking for Maria Elisa and I have simply come to the wrong cabin.’

‘Please, don’t worry. I myself become confused trying to find my way around. All the doors look the same,’ said Heitor with a comforting smile. ‘As to my daughter, you can try her cabin next door, but she could be anywhere on this ship – I confess to not keeping track of her whereabouts.’ He gestured towards the desk. ‘I have been distracted by other things.’

‘May I . . . may I see your drawings?’

‘You are interested?’ Heitor’s pale eyes lit up with pleasure.

‘Why yes! Everyone in Rio says it is a miracle that this statue will be built on top of such a high mountain.’

‘They are right. And as the Cristo cannot perform it Himself, I must.’ He smiled wearily. ‘Here,’ he beckoned her. ‘I will show you how I believe it can happen.’

Heitor indicated a chair for her to pull over, and for the next hour showed her how he would build a structure strong enough to support his Christ. ‘Iron girders, and a new innovation from Europe called reinforced concrete will fill His innards. You see, Bel, the Cristo is not a statue, He is simply a building dressed as a human being. He must withstand the harsh winds that circle around Him, the rain that will pound on His head. Not to mention the bolts of lightning that His Father in heaven sends down to us mortals here on earth to remind us of His power.’

Bel sat there in awe. Listening to the poetic yet detailed way Heitor spoke of his project was a pleasure and she felt honoured to be trusted with the information.

‘And now, when I reach Europe, I must find the sculptor who can breathe life into my outer vision of Him. The engineering of building His insides will not matter to a public who will only ever see His outer packaging.’ He looked up at her thoughtfully. ‘I think, senhorita, that is very common in life too. Do you not agree?’

‘Yes,’ Bel replied tentatively, having never thought of it before. ‘I suppose I do.’

‘For example,’ he elaborated, ‘you are a beautiful young woman, but do I know the soul inside you that fires you? And the answer is, of course, that no, I do not. So, I must find the right sculptor for the job, and return to Rio with the face, body and hands that His onlookers desire.’

That night, Bel climbed into bed feeling a little uncomfortable. Even though Heitor was old enough to be her father, she was embarrassed to admit she had developed a crush on Senhor da Silva Costa.

18

Six weeks after the steamer had left Rio, it docked gracefully at Le Havre. The da Silva Costa party duly boarded the train to Paris, where a car was waiting at the station to transfer them to an elegant apartment on the Avenue de Marigny just off the Champs-Élysées. The plan was to base the family there, near the office Heitor had rented in which to work and to meet the many experts he wished to consult with to finalise the structure of his Christ.